As Xaras - Mencia

Mencia | wijngaarden liggen aan beiden kanten van de rivier de Xares | 550-650 meter hoogte | granieten bodem met schist en kwarts | 2 maanden zachte maceratie | whole bunch | 12 maanden gerijpt in oude franse 500l vaten | lichte expressie | heel puur fruit | lichte kleur 

Fedellos do Couto & Peixes

Sinds 2013 zijn Curro en Jesús samen met Luis Tobada gestart met hun Fedellos do Couto project. De wijngaarden waar de opbrengsten eerst van werden verkocht wordt hier nu wijn gemaakt. Op de zeven hectare grond die zij bewerken staan soms wel acht tot negen druivenrassen door elkaar! Het gebied Ribeira Sacra staat bekend om zijn prachtige natuur. Scherpe kliffen, riviertjes en beekjes en flinke rotspartijen. Later komen daar wijngaarden in de DO Ribeiro bij op grote hoogte. Karakteristieke wijnen met karakter en puurheid!

Review

The 2022 As Xaras is a red varietal Mencía from Val do Bibei produced with grapes from different vineyards at 600 meters above sea level on granite and schist/slate soils. It fermented with full clusters and aged in well-seasoned 500-liter French oak barrels for eight months. This feels more varietal, fruit-driven and obvious, showing the difficulty of Mencía in a warm year. It comes from younger and older vineyards and does not have the nuance of the field blend in the old vineyards like I see in other wines. It still has moderate alcohol, 12%, a medium body and the stony austerity in the palate. 12,000 bottles were produced. It was bottled in May 2023. 92+/100 Luis Gutiérrez

Fedellos do Couto and Peixes have definitely merged into one single project, Fedellos. They work in the Bibei Valley, part inside Ribeira Sacra, part in Valdeorras and part outside the limits, and they sell the wines without appellations. I tasted wines from different vintages. 2020 was not too warm, and the plants had good availability of water from the season; 2021 was cold and rainy, the coldest for them; and 2022 was super dry (more than warm, as Galicia doesn't get as warm as in other parts of Spain). In total, they now produce 40,000 bottles.